\ CHANGE FOR THE
* ,^V BETTER with
ENERGY STAR
McCreary County Community
Housing Development
Corporation
The McCreary County Community
Housing Development Corporation
(McCHDO) located in Whitley City,
Kentucky has incorporated energy
efficient features into all newly
constructed homes, providing quality
affordable housing to its residents.
Through a combination of local, state
and federal funding mechanisms the
developer creates what it calls "Heritage
Homes Heritage Homes are Energy
Star rated houses that are designed to be
used for generations with minimal
maintenance and very low cost while
allowing room for expansion throughout
the community.
Executive Director Donna Thrush
explains McCHDO's motivation,
"We chose Energy Star standards
because our mission is "to improve the
quality of housing in McCreary County
Kentucky". Choosing to utilize
nationally recognized standards of
excellence in construction makes it
possible to leverage the credibility of
that program while meeting our mission.
Kentucky has only had a state building
code since 2002 and in rural Kentucky
there are no building code inspectors.
We are setting a higher standardfor
construction at all levels with our
homes. Emphasizing the importance of
Energy Star helps explain the reason for
building differently than others while
providing healthier and more cost
effective home for our low income
homeowners. [It is a] win, win. "
McCreary has built five single story,
single family detached homes with
partly finished basements. The houses
have 1,200 square feet of space above
grade and sell for $113,000 - $122,000.
All homes are built with Universal
Design features - such as 42" halls, 36"
doorways, and 5' circle baths - and
Energy Star certification. The
construction specifications used for these
Heritage Homes will lay the foundation
for all future construction in McCreary
County.
Homes certified before July 2006 were
constructed with 13-SEER heat pumps;
R-38 blown cellulose attics, R-19 spray
applied cellulose walls, low-e windows,
ductwork entirely in conditioned spaces,
and detailed air sealing at windows &
doors, plates, and penetrations.
Homes certified to the current Energy
Star criteria are constructed with:
"r-; 14-SEER heat pump systems
with return plenum fresh air
intake; air handler and ducts in
conditioned space
"r-; Energy Star dishwashers and
refrigerators and efficient electric
water heaters
'; ;r R-38 blown cellulose attics,
cantilevered attic trusses, R-19
spray applied cellulose walls,
attic radiant barrier, and air
barrier separation between

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Energy Star lighting fixtures for
compact and linear fluorescent
lighting
Because of its high performance
construction details, McCreary estimates its
costs to meet the new criteria to be less than
$1,000. Heating and cooling costs are
estimated to average less than $45 per
month.
Funding Resources
The level of funding for these projects
depends upon the availability of funds at the
time participating families become credit
ready, the main restriction being that none of
the participants have a total gross income of
more than 80% of the HUD median. Some
of the funding sources include:
The Appalachian Regional
Commission funds
HOME Investment Partnership funds
~ USDA Rural Housing Service 502
loan funds
"k-7 Kentucky Affordable Housing Trust
funds
Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable
Housing Program
Private foundation grants funds
Equipment and labor donations.
HOME Investment Partnership Funds are
allocated by the State Financing Agency,
also known as the Kentucky Housing
Corporation (KHC), directly to developers
like McCHDO through a competitive grant
process. Home buyer projects can qualify
for up to $40,000, while home rehabilitation
projects can qualify for as much as $60,000
of HOME funds.
A New Standard
McCreary County Community Housing
Development Corporation uses its own
trained crews to do construction. When
outside contractors are used, they work with
McCreary staff to ensure construction
details are completed per specification,
rather than completed turn-key. McCreary
specifies and buys all of its own equipment
and tests ductwork for leakage using its own
equipment before close in.
Energy Star inspections, testing, and
certifications are completed by McCreary's
partner Southern Kentucky Rural Electric
Cooperative (SKREC). SKREC completes
the Energy Star certifications at no cost
under its Touchstone Energy program,
which assists customers in energy efficient
construction. SKREC certifies homes to
Energy Star, performs a duct leakage test,
and completes sizing calculations using Air
Conditioning Contractors of America

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